"Risen Lamb Writings"

"Whispers of Light" (part 3)

          Jesus is love crucified. The wisdom of God--like all seven of the gifts of the Holy Spirit--comes to us through the pierced heart of the Lamb, love crucified. The wisdom of God appears in the context of covenant: The bond of inseparable love between God and humanity. The pierced heart of the Lamb is the wellspring of New Covenant Love. Each of the seven mystical treasures of the Spirit is offered in the context of New Covenant Love.

          The Book of Wisdom says this about the gift of wisdom:

"For to me she is an unfailing treasure; those who gain this treasure win the friendship of God" (Wis. 7:14). 

One notes the connection between wisdom, treasure and friendship with God. St. Paul speaks of Jesus as his prize and treasure: " I have accounted all else rubbish so that Christ may be my wealth" (Phil. 3:8; NAB, 1970 trans.) The realities of both the Incarnation and the Redemption are directed towards God's desire to restore humanity to his friendship:

"United to Christ, man participates in divine wisdom and sees himself introduced into the intimacy of God" (Dictionary of Biblical Theology, p. 659).

We recall that to be "united to Christ" means to be united to love crucified. Discovering the treasure of Eternal wisdom gives one the life, the energy of the Holy Spirit, and the desire to begin to put to death within oneself earthly aspects, and to seek and desire the cross: "The sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death" (Phil. 3:10).

          In The Book of Sirach we read, "A new friend is like new wine" (Sir. 9:10). When the "new wine" of the Holy Spirit enters into a soul, one begins the journey towards a true friendship with God. One begins to both desire God at a whole new level of the heart, and the things that are of God--his word, his holiness, his gifts, etc.. In The Book of Wisdom we read about wisdom: "And Passing into holy souls from age to age, she produces friends of God and prophets" (Wis. 7:27). On the day of Pentecost, the Apostles and others were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to experience intimacy with the Father and Jesus at a whole new level. In the power of the Spirit, Peter began to proclaim boldly the prophetic word of God. Holy souls are humble and obedient souls, and the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey God (see Acts 5:32). Jesus equates Godly friendship with obedience to his words: "You are my friends if you do what I command you" (John 15:14).

          The world has been redeemed by the obedience of the Lamb of God to the Father's will. Jesus invites us both into his friendship and into his intimacy with the Father by inviting us into a dying  to self--a death to all that militates against authentic intimacy with God. Hence, as St. John of the Cross reminds us:

 "The soul that longs for divine wisdom chooses first, and in truth, to enter the thicket of the cross" ("From a spiritual Canticle by Saint John of the Cross, priest"; cited in LH, vol. I,p. 1246). 

For those who seek the "greater love" of divine intimacy and the gift of eternal wisdom, there is only one road one may travel: The road of self-emptying, sacrificial love: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends"(John 15:13).

          The gift of wisdom "pulls back the veil" in two ways. First, it gives one an intimate knowledge of God: "The Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him" (Eph. 1:17); and secondly, the gift of wisdom gives one a knowledge of God's will: "You may be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Col. 1:9). Jesus equates Godly friendship with the revelation of the Father's will: "I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father" (John 15:15).

          Once an intercessor has the wisdom of knowing God's will about how to pray for another person or into a situation, one can pray with bold confidence. In Luke 11:1-14, Jesus teaches his disciples about prayer. In Luke 11:5-8, he tells the story of a man who knocks on the door of a friend at midnight looking for food to offer a guest. Intercessors desire that those whom they pray for are fed by God's Love, word and wisdom. In prayer, God wants us to approach the "door of his heart" as a friend with confident boldness, knowing his will--knowing and knocking--praying with persistence: "Suppose one of you has a friend..." (Luke 11:5).

Questions:

1)   How would I describe my friendship with God at this current time?

2)   What aspects of my life still need to be further put to death?

Scriptures:

Any scripture from the text; Col. 1:28; Col. 2:3.